Morphium

Setting:

Morphium is a universe I'm creating, and this is the card game implementation of that idea. The part of the universe that is relevant for this experience is that there is a perpetual battle between robots (called morphids). Each player controlls a morphid, and they fight against other morphids.

Mechanics:

Deckbuilding: Morphium uses a deckbuilding mechanic, but not particularly similar to other deckbuilding mechanics. The player's deck is always face up, so you know what card you are about to draw. All 'gained' cards go on the bottom of the deck. All 'discarded' cards are gone for the rest of the game.

Construction: Each player has an avatar, made out of up to 5 cards. The art on these cards connects to each other.

Very simple setup / breakdown. The game begins as just a pile of shuffled cards, and by the end of the game, all the cards will be in another pile.

Rules:

2-4 Players

A morphid is represented by a morphid card surrounded by item cards. Both types are square. The item cards are colored such that one quarter of the card is a different color. That quarter goes under the morphid when he has it equipped.

At the beginning of the game, you shuffle all the cards together into the central deck. Then you deal out cards to each player until that player receives a morphid card. All of the cards dealt before the morphid remain in order and face up, and they become that player's deck.

After the players have been made, make 3 enemy morphids in the middle. Deal out cards from the deck onto the appropriate slot: If it's an arm item, put it in the arm slot of the morphid you're building. If you deal 2 arm cards, that's fine, just stack them. Once you deal a morphid, he goes on top.

Then each player draws 3 cards. They may choose for each card to draw from their face up deck, or the face down central deck.

During each player's turn, they can use items from their had to upgrade their morphid, or use the item's ability (which is printed on the 1/4 of the card normally covered) to deal damage to one of the morphids in the middle. Once you are satisfied, you can put the cards from your hand on the bottom of your deck or discard them. Then, draw 3 more cards from your face up deck or the middle.

If you kill a morphid in the middle, for each card they had, the player may put it on the bottom of their deck, or discard it. Everyone shares a discard pile, which never gets re-used. Any abilities you use are discarded. When you replace an item on your morphid, the old item is discarded. When you kill a morphid, immidiately create a new one from the central deck.

Players may also attack other player morphids, but they don't die the same way. If you kill a player morphid while there are still morphids in the center to attack, the body part you killed falls off and you put it in your hand. If you kill a player after the deck runs out, they're out, but that should be near the end of the game. The last player standing wins.

Morphids have 4 stats, corresponding to the 4 item slots: Bandwidth, Firepower, Torque, and Speed. The morphid card will provide some of each of these stats, and the items will provide a stat boost as well. If a player can do damage to a morphid that takes one stat to 0 in one turn, that player dies. Morphids cannot help each other.

Each card has an ability, which could just be a symbol for what stat it damages, or some text to do something more complicated.